The arid southern region of historic Palestine is traditionally and locally known as the Naqab, with its capital Bi’r Sabi`/بئر سبع ("7 springs”). Jewish colonizers sought to impose Hebrew or hebraicized place names on conquered and otherwise-acquired territories. They applied the Hebrew cognate title Negev to the territory, and "Beer Sheva” (or, Bersheeva) to its capital.
